pentagon correspondent chris lawrence is "outfront." hillary clinton says it's risky to ignore this rising threat. >> benghazi did not happen in a vacuum. instability in mali has created an expanding safe haven for terrorists. >> reporter: and the defense secretary sounds like a man ready to go on offense. >> we've got to go after al qaeda, wherever the hell they're at. and yes, in mali if necessary. >> reporter: but the white house is not embracing the same tough talk. >> we are working with france and support their effort in mali, and believe that the goal of preventing terrorists' safe haven is an important one. >> reporter: in public, the administration swings from forceful to tentative. a senior u.s. official said the defense secretary's tough talk is classic panetta. "he's letting the french know we've got their back in the offensive against al qaeda." u.s. military planes recently started landing in the capital, bringing 200 french troops and tons of the equipment to the fight. they're also sharing intelligence. but france is tak